“To achieve these goals through deliberate steps, we had to step away from our computers, put aside our desire to design, and instead engage the ethnographic process of understanding the lives of those we wished to serve (Barab, Thomas et al,. in press; Levinson, 1988).”
Teachers not only examine what type of learners their students are but learn and understand how and where they grew up to be able to better instruct them. Today’s generation spend the majority of their time on their cell phones, computers, and playing video games. This is something that cannot be changed; this is something we must accept and utilize to our advantage.
“Further, in addition to the thousands of quests assigned by teachers and participating staff, children ages 9-12 in both school and after-school settings have voluntarily completed hundreds of educational quests without any mandated requirements.”
If students are actively involved doing something they like, such as video games, they may overlook the primary purpose and continue because of the enjoyment they gain. Certain video games are educational but don’t point that out, so children playing these games are playing the game for fun and learning at the same time. It would be to a teacher’s advantage to implement games into their curriculum because the students will enjoy learning the content in a way that is more familiar and exciting to them.
“It is our conviction that if we as educators do not develop more gaming-like principles into our design tool kits, then the entertainment industry and market, which have less vested interest in supporting positive identity development than we do, will be the teachers of our children.”
It is up to teachers to design games that students will like, but is also educational. The entertainment industry is out to make money. They create games that will sell. Many people are complaining about certain video games that promote violence. They believe these types of video games have a negative effect on our children. So instead of complaining, do something about it.
Sasha Barab, Michael Thomas, Tyler Dodge, Robert Carteaux, & Hakan Tuzun. (2005). Making Learning Fun: Quest Atlantis, A Game Without Guns. Educational Technology, Research and Development, 53(1), 86-107. Retrieved February 9, 2012, from Research Library. (Document ID: 816992771).
This article states several facts about the positive attributes of playing video games. Good video games can increase hand-eye coordination, decrease reaction times, and improve social interactions.
Griffiths, M. (2002). The educational benefits of video games. Education and Health, 20(3), 47-51. Retrieved from http://sheu.org.uk/sites/sheu.org.uk/files/imagepicker/1/eh203mg.pdf
I agree that as educators we must know and understand our students. We have to be willing to get into their "world" to understand what motivates and drives them.
ReplyDeleteI agree that today's generation spends most of their spare time on cell phones and playing video games. We cannot control the growing technology, we have to grow as educators and learn to implement 21st century skills and technology into the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI couldn’t agree more with your statement about today’s generation spending the majority of their time being entirely involved in different forms of technology. As the 21rst century progresses, so does the incorporation of technology into the teaching and learning processes. It is very important for teachers to learn how to integrate video games and learning technology into the classroom in the appropriate way; otherwise, it becomes just entertainment and not an educational experience. As technology and computers continue to develop, so does the use of them within the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the gaming industry is out to make a profit, however I disagree it is our responsibilites to create games that sell. I believe a better approach is to educate our schools and faculty that these games are needed if we are to continue educating students. If the gaming industry sees a need to create these games and market them in the educational setting I believe they will do so. The reason they don't now is because there is not a massive enough market yet to draw their attention. Think about it, if I was trying to market a game that my company just designed, and I knew that schools were implementing games as part of the curriculum, I would be a fool not to invest time and energy into designing games for education. My game on the gaming market stands a chance of failure, but school systems must be equipped to educate students. Once the need is there, teachers will just have to be contributors, not creators of these games.
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